BRIEF  DESCRIPTIVE  SKETCH 


OF  THE 


MASSACHUSETTS 


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AT  3 8<L 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 


BY 


JOHN  W.  DICKINSON, 


SECRETARY  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


BOSTON : 

NATHAN  SAWYER  & SON,  PRINTERS, 

70  STATE  STREET. 

1893. 


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THE  MASSACHUSETTS  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 

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THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

The  Massachusetts  Board  of  Education  consists  of  the  Gov- 
enor  and  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  eight  members  appointed 
by  the  Governor  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Council. 
The  appointed  members  hold  office  for  eight  years. 

POWERS  AND  DUTIES. 

The  Board  takes  and  holds  in  trust  for  the  Commonwealth 
any  grant  or  devise  of  lands,  and  any  donation  or  bequest  of 
money  or  other  personal  property  made  to  it  for  educational 
purposes.  It  prescribes  the  form  of  registers  to  be  kept  in  the 
schools,  and  the  form  of  the  blanks  and  inquiries  for  the  returns 
to  be  made  by  school  committees,  and  makes  an  annual  report 
to  the  General  Court  containing  an  abstract  of  these  returns, 
together  with  a detailed  report  of  the  doings  of  the  Board.  It 
is  the  duty  of  the  Board  to  suggest  the  best  means  of  promoting 
popular  education  and  to  require  the  towns  of  the  State  to  obey 
all  laws  relating  to  the  establishment  a^d  support  of  public 
schools. 

SECRETARY  AND  HIS  DUTIES. 

The  Board  appoints  its  own  secretary,  who,  under  its  direc- 
* tion  makes  an  abstract  of  school  returns  ; collects  information 

respecting  the  condition  of  the  public  schools  ; and  spreads  as 
widety  as  possible  throughout  the  Commonwealth  information 
concerning  the  best  course  of  studies,  and  the  best  method  of 
instruction  for  the  young,  in  order  that  they  may  receive  the 
best  education  which  public  schools  can  be  made  to  impart. 

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He  visits  different  parts  of  the  Commonwealth  for  the  purpose 
of  awakening  an  interest  in  the  public  schools,  and  receives  and 
arranges  in  his  office  the  State  documents  in  relation  to  the  public 
school  system.  Under  the  direction  of  the  Board  he  holds 
teachers’  meetings  and  teachers’  institutes  ; publishes  an  annual 
report ; and  sends  out  blank  forms  of  inquiry,  the  school  registers, 
the  annual  report  of  the  Board,  and  his  own  annual  report,  to 
the  clerks  of  the  different  cities  and  towns  for  distribution. 

AGENTS  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

The  Board  appoints  suitable  agents  to  visit  the  cities  and 
towns  for  the  purpose  of  inquiring  into  the  condition  of  the 
schools,  of  meeting  and  conferring  with  teachers  and  school 
committees,  and  aiding  the  secretary  in  organizing  and  conduct- 
ing teachers’  institutes. 


SCHOOL  COMMITTEES. 

Every  city  and  town  in  the  Commonwealth  is  required  to  elect 
a school  committee  consisting  of  three  members  or  of  some 
number  divisible  by  three. 

These  officers  have  the  general  charge  and  superintendence  of 
the  public  schools.  They  determine  the  number  of  schools  a 
town  shall  maintain,  the  course  of  studies  to  be  taught,  the  text- 
books to  be  used,  and  the  method  of  teaching  to  be  employed. 
They  classify'  and  distribute  pupils  in  such  a manner  as  they 
think  best  adapted  to  their  general  proficiency  and  welfare. 
They  elect  the  teachers  and  fix  their  salaries,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  school  year  they  make  a report  to  their  respective  towns  of 
their  doings,  and  make  such  suggestions  as  they  think  the  wel- 
fare of  the  schools  requires.  The  term  of  office  of  the  school 
committee  is  three  years. 

SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  SCHOOLS. 

A city  by  ordinance  and  a town  by  vote  may  require  the 
school  committee  annually  to  appoint  a superintendent,  who, 
under  the  direction  and  control  of  said  committee,  shall  have 
the  care  and  supervision  of  the  public  schools. 


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The  superintendent  is  supposed  to  be  an  expert  in  all  school 
matters,  and  to  give  his  whole  time  to  the  supervision  of  the 
schools. 

The  small  towns  of  the  Commonwealth  may  provide  them- 
selves with  school  superintendents  by  uniting  into  districts  for 
that  purpose.  Such  districts  receive  aid  from  the  State  in  the 
payment  of  salaries  of  both  superintendents  and  teachers. 

STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOLS. 

The  State  maintains  five  normal  schools  and  one  normal  art 
school  for  the  professional  training  of  teachers  employed  in  the 
public  schools.  The  time  of  the  shorter  course  of  studies  in 
these  schools  extends  through  a period  of  two  years,  the  time  of 
the  advanced  course  extends  through  a period  of  four  years. 
The  school  year  is  divided  into  two  terms  of  twenty  weeks 
each  with  daily  sessions  of  not  less  than  five  days  each  week. 

The  oldest  normal  school  in  this  country  was  established  at 
Lexington,  Massachusetts,  July,  1839. 

NORMAL  ART  SCHOOL. 

The  State  Normal  Art  School  was  opened  at  Boston  in  the 
month  of  October,  1873. 

The  school  offers  a four  years’  course  of  training  in  the 
scientific  and  artistic  branches  and  their  practical  application 
to  industry,  and  a two  years’  course  of  training  for  the  work 
of  teaching  and  supervising  drawing  in  the  public  schools. 

CITY  NORMAL  AND  TRAINING-  SCHOOLS. 

Boston  maintains  one  city  normal  school  for  the  professional 
training  of  young  women  (graduates  of  the  city  high  schools) 
for  positions  as  teachers  in  the  public  schools.  The  course  of 
studies  and  exercises  in  this  school  are  essentially  the  same  as 
those  in  the  two  years’  course  in  the  State  normal  schools. 

In  other  cities  and  large  towns  of  the  State,  training  schools 
and  training  classes  are  organized. 

The  city  normal  school  and  the  training  schools  and  classes 
are  under  the  charge  and  superintendence  of  the  school  com- 
mittees of  the  various  towns  where  these  institutions  are  located. 


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TEACHERS’  INSTITUTES. 

The  Board  of  Education  has  authority  to  conduct  teachers’ 
institutes  in  different  parts  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  the 
Legislature  makes  annual  appropriations  for  their  support. 

The  ends  to  be  accomplished  by  the  State  teachers’  institutes 
are : first,  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  people  and  school 
boards  to  their  public  schools,  and  to  the  best  way  of  promot- 
ing their  welfare  ; second,  to  call  the  teachers  together  and 
discuss  with  them  the  principles  of  education  and  the  true 
method  of  teaching ; third,  to  present  a collection  and  syste- 
matic arrangement  of  topics  on  the  various  branches  of  study 
required  to  be  taught  in  the  public  schools  ; fourth,  to  suggest 
the  best  means  of  illustrating  the  topics  ; fifth,  to  present  an 
approved  plan  of  school  organization  and  school  government. 

Evening  lectures  and  conversations  in  connection  with  the 
day  institutes  have  for  their  object  the  explanation  of  the  duties 
of  school  officers  in  organizing  and  supervising  the  schools,  and 
the  duties  of  the  towns  in  giving  to  the  schools  a hearty 
support. 

PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

The  public  school  system  of  Massachusetts  includes  kinder- 
garten, primary,  grammar,  and  high  schools. 

These  schools  hold  a logical  relation  to  one  another  in  the 
kinds  of  knowledge  pursued  in  each,  in  the  different  modes  of 
mental  activity  required  in  the  pursuit  of  the  kinds  of  knowl- 
edge, and  in  the  different  phases  of  mental  development  which 
the  activity  is  adapted  to  produce. 

The  educational  value  of  our  system  of  public  schools  becomes 
apparent  when  we  consider  that  it  makes  complete  provision 
for  the  pursuit  of  the  two  kinds  of  knowledge,  — elementary  * 

and  scientific,  — for  training  the  mind  to  observe  and  reason, 
for  the  cultivation  of  language  by  which  individual  facts  and 
general  truth  may  be  described,  and  for  having  all  done  in  a 
way  best  adapted  to  the  formation  of  good  moral  and  intel- 
lectual habits. 

The  high  schools  are  to  be  continued  for  ten  months  in  the 
year.  The  average  length  of  all  the  schools  is  eight  and  a half 
months. 


EVENING  SCHOOLS. 


Every  town  and  city  having  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  or 
more,  must  establish  and  maintain,  in  addition  to  the  other 
schools  required  by  law  to  be  maintained  therein,  evening 
schools  for  the  instruction  of  persons  over  twelve  years  of  age. 

Every  town  of  fifty  thousand  inhabitants  is  required  to  estab- 
lish and  thereafter  annually  maintain  an  evening  high  school,  in 
which  shall  be  taught  such  branches  of  learning  as  the  school 
^committee  thereof  may  deem  expedient,  whenever  fifty  or  more 
residents,  fourteen  years  of  age  or  over,  who  desire,  and,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  school  committee,  are  competent  to  pursue  high- 
school  studies,  shall  petition  in  writing  for  an  evening  high 
school  and  certify  that  they  desire  to  attend  such  school. 

INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOLS. 

A town  may  establish  and  support  industrial  schools  in  which 
instruction  may  be  given  in  the  arts  and  in  the  various  trades 
and  occupations. 

NAUTICAL  SCHOOLS. 

A town  may  organize  and  maintain  upon  shore  or  upon 
ships,  or  other  vessels,  at  the  option  of  the  school  com- 
mittee, one  or  more  schools  for  training  young  men  or  boys 
in  nautical  duties. 


TRUANT  SCHOOLS. 

Truant  children,  and  children  between  seven  and  fifteen  years 
of  age  found  wandering  about  the  streets  or  public  places 
therein,  having  no  lawful  occupation  or  business,  not  attending 
school,  and  growing  up  in  ignorance,  are  arrested  and  sent  to 
truant  schools. 

Children  who  persistently  violate  the  reasonable  rules  of  the 
schools  are  provided  for  in  the  same  institutions. 

Here  the  children  are  provided  with  well-regulated  homes  and 
good  schools  in  which  they  are  taught  the  various  branches 
required  to  be  taught  in  the  public  schools,  and  they  also 
receive  a thorough  training  in  the  industrial  occupations. 


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FREE  TEXT-BOOKS. 

The  school  committee  of  every  city  and  town  is  required  to 
purchase  at  the  expense  of  such  city  or  town  text-books  and 
other  supplies  used  in  the  public  schools,  and  to  loan  them  to 
the  pupils  free  of  charge. 

EMPLOYMENT  OF  CHILDREN. 

The  laws  of  the  Commonwealth  forbid  the  employment  of 
children  under  thirteen  years  of  age  at  any  time  in  any  factory, 
workshop,  or  mercantile  establishment.  Such  children  may  not 
be  employed  in  any  indoor  work,  performed  for  wages  or  other 
compensation  to  whomsoever  payable,  during  the  hours  when 
the  public  schools  are  in  session  in  the  city  or  town  where  they 
reside  ; nor  shall  they  be  employed  at  all  while  the  schools  are 
in  session,  unless  they  have  attended  school  for  twenty  weeks 
during  the  year  next  preceding. 


MASSACHUSETTS  COMPULSORY  LAW. 

Every  person  having  under  his  control  a child  between  the 
ages  of  eight  and  fourteen  years  shall  annually  cause  such 
child  to  attend  some  public  day  school  in  the  city  or  town 
where  he  resides  for  at  least  thirty  weeks,  if  the  schools  are 
kept  open  so  long,  with  an  allowed  absence  of  two  weeks.  For 
every  neglect  of  such  duty,  the  person  offending  shall  forfeit  a 
sum  not  exceeding  twenty  dollars. 

If  the  child  has  attended  a private  school  approved  by  the 
school  committee,  or  has  been  otherwise  instructed  for  a like 
period  of  time  in  the  branches  of  learning  required  by  law  to 
be  taught  in  the  public  schools,  or  has  acquired  a knowledge  of 
the  branches  of  learning  required  to  be  taught  in  the  public 
schools,  or  if  his  physical  or  mental  condition  renders  such 
attendance  inexpedient,  such  penalty  shall  not  be  incurred. 

The  compulsory  school  laws  of  the  Commonwealth  are  well 
received  and  cheerfully  obeyed. 


